Our Search Pack of the Month for June spotlights the experiences of women with learning disabilities in maternity care.
Learning Disability Week 2026 takes place from 15-21 June. This annual campaign celebrates the contributions of people with learning disabilities, and acts as an opportunity to reflect on how services can become more inclusive and responsive to diverse needs. This year’s theme, “Do you see me?”, highlights the importance of ensuring that people with learning disabilities are recognised, heard, included and valued in every aspect of life.
The week is led by the charity Mencap, which aims to ensure that people with a learning disability are supported to live their lives to the fullest. They have a wide range of accessible resources, including clear descriptions of different conditions, and guidance on communicating with people with a learning disability. Their resounding message is that learning disabilities affect each person differently, and individual needs and preferences can vary significantly.
For maternity professionals, Learning Disability Week is a chance to reflect on the inclusivity of maternity services and the experiences of families. Our free Search Pack, MS38: Women with Learning Disabilities, brings together a comprehensive selection of research to support the delivery of evidence-based, inclusive care. Covering topics from practical strategies and the midwife’s role in specialist care, to resources for individuals with learning disabilities and insights into the experience of families, this pack is designed to aid midwives, students and maternity support workers in ensuring that people with learning disabilities are seen, supported and included within maternity care.
What are MIDIRS Search Packs?
Our Search Packs are pre-made literature searches on topics within maternity research. They contain a comprehensive bibliographic list of articles as well as article abstracts. You can find a list of all of our Search Packs and information on accessing them here. If you require a more specific search, our librarians are also on hand to provide bespoke literature searches, which can be ordered on our Products and Services page.
Take a look back at articles on the topic of women with learning disabilities that have featured in past editions of MIDIRS Midwifery Digest:
‘Maternity services for women with learning disabilities.’ (December 1996)
A new steering group at the Maternity Alliance has been set up to look at maternity services for women with learning disabilities. Called Right from the Start, it would be interested to hear from anyone knowing of or involved in the midwifery care or parenthood teaching of women or parents with learning disabilities. It would be particularly valuable to hear about teaching aids or resources used in these circumstances, and whether they were useful.
‘Learning disability and parenting.’ LKM Williams (September 2006)
In this article, the author explores the attitudes of society to people with learning disabilities having relationships and children, starting by looking at how things have been in the past and how perceptions have changed – or not. She describes how this vulnerable group can be helped to be very satisfactory parents and the role of the midwife in this.
To read these papers in full, plus hundreds more midwifery-related articles, subscribe to MIDIRS and access our full MIC database, as well as our quarterly Digest.
